Impact Evaluation for EKYAN Project

• Introduction and Content
  

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner, rooted in the contexts and societies where we work. Inspired by the transformational principles and objectives set out by the SDGs, we are committed to building resilient agri-food systems that deliver food security and adequate nutrition; increasing the reliability and availability of water and sanitation at an acceptable quantity and quality; and improving access to affordable and sustainable energy for all.
In doing so, we aim to strengthen institutions, markets, and effective governance within and across the agri-food, energy, and water sectors, reducing gender inequalities and barriers to social inclusion, and enabling adaptation to and mitigation against the climate and biodiversity crises.
Our ability to deliver results rests on our robust foundation of experience, knowledge, evidence, and learning; our commitment to strengthening capacities and catalyzing partnerships; and the relationships and trust of those we work alongside.
Our core values of people-centeredness and respect, equity and equality, and diversity and inclusion, are fundamental to who we are, and what we do. This is reflected in our vision mission, and strategy, which sets out our aspirations and commitments as our compass towards 2030.
For more information on our operations in Kenya and SNV generally visit our website: snv.org

• Engaging Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and Nutrition (EKYAN) project
  

The Engaging Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and Nutrition (EKYAN) project aims to create sustainable economic opportunities for young people in the agricultural sector, particularly those who are not in school, thereby contributing to Kenya's broader development goals. The project is funded by UNICEF under the Generation Unlimited umbrella. The project reports to UNICEF outcome 3: Female youth provided with market-driven upskilling to drive business creation and growth within local economies and increase exposure to select agri-business models.
The project started in November 2024 and is expected to end in April 2026. The area of intervention includes Samburu, Busia and Kisumu Counties with an assigned target of 5,000 youth.

• Project Goal
  

Improve the perception and engagement of young people in agriculture and positively contribute to economic livelihoods, food systems and nutritional status.

• Project objectives
• To develop an evidence-based youth engagement strategy that improves access to learning opportunities for young women and men.
• To enhance youth entrepreneurship and career readiness for agribusiness models and agri-value chains for improved livelihoods and household nutrition.
• To enhance access to functional and sustainable market opportunities and market-enabling systems for young women and men.
• To empower young women and men to become investment-ready through enhanced access to inclusive finance.
• Outcome areas
• Evidence-based (HCD) youth engagement strategy developed to improve access to learning opportunities for young women and men.
• Young women and men have enhanced career and enterpreneurship readiness for agri-business models and agri-value chains to earn a decent livelihood as agripreneurs.
• Young women and men are sustainably participating in and benefiting from agri-related business and job opportunities.
• Young people have savings and are financially prepared to invest in their agribusiness.
  

Job Description

• Purpose of evaluation
  

SNV, in partnership with Generation Unlimited and UNICEF Kenya, is commissioning this impact evaluation to assess the project objectives against the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria of relevance & coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact. The evaluation will be undertaken to assess the extent to which the project has contributed to changes in youth livelihoods, employment, and economic empowerment, and to understand how and why these changes occurred. Using panel data alongside qualitative evidence, the evaluation seeks to generate credible evidence on project impact, explain variations in outcomes among different groups of youth, assess the sustainability of observed changes, and draw practical lessons to inform future programming, decision-making, and potential scale-up of EKYAN interventions. The evaluation will also contribute to SNV’s evidence base by providing credible and useful information; enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the decision-making for SNV and its partners.

• Objectives of the Evaluation
  

The evaluation has the following objectives:

• To measure changes in youth livelihoods, employment, income stability, agribusiness engagement, financial inclusion, nutrition, climate-smart practices, regenerative agriculture practices and gender empowerment associated with EKYAN participation.
• To examine the mechanisms through which EKYAN interventions (e.g., Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE) training and value-chain based technical training, business coaching and mentorship, matchmaking and market events, market linkages and inclusive finance linkages, starter kits) influenced observed outcomes.
• To assess variations in results across different youth groups, including gender, age, value chain, and geographic location, and identify factors driving these differences.
• To evaluate the sustainability of project outcomes and the likelihood that benefits will continue beyond the project period.
• To identify trade-offs, constraints, and any unintended positive or negative effects associated with the project.
• To generate actionable recommendations to improve the design, implementation, and potential scaling of EKYAN’s youth agribusiness and employment interventions.
• To assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of strategies, approaches and modalities used in the project to realize the intended results.
• Subject and Focus
  

This assignment will employ mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches including but not limited to primary data collection, panel data study and desk-based reviews to assess performance and quality of the project from inception to closure. The key evaluation questions will be guided by the criteria developed by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD DAC) and the cross-cutting themes.
8a.) Relevance

• To what extent did EKYAN address the most critical constraints facing youth in agribusiness and employment in the target areas?
• How well did EKYAN’s design and interventions respond to the needs and priorities of different youth groups, including young women and marginalized youth?
• To what extent was EKYAN aligned with national and county policies on youth employment, agriculture, climate resilience, and nutrition?
• How coherent was EKYAN with other ongoing initiatives and actors in the same communities (government, NGOs, private sector)?
• Were there contextual changes (e.g. climate shocks, market shifts, cost of living) that affected the relevance of EKYAN interventions over time?
  

8b.) Effectiveness

• What unintended positive or negative effects, if any, resulted from EKYAN implementation?
• To what extent did the project achieve its stated objectives?
• What were the key factors contributing to or hindering the achievement of the project objectives?
• How effective were the strategies and interventions implemented in achieving the desired outcomes?
• What has happened because of donor funding that wouldn’t have otherwise happened? \What is the social return on investment?
• To what extent did the project actively engage stakeholders?
  

8c.) Efficiency

• How well were the project resources (financial, human, and material) utilized in achieving the project outcomes?
• Were the project activities implemented cost-effectively?
• Were there any delays or cost overruns, and how were they managed?
• What were the difficulties/ challenges in the execution of the project (planning, implementation, monitoring etc.)
• How did delivery arrangements and partnerships influence efficiency and reach?
• How efficient is the process of learning and dissemination of the information from the trainer?
  

8d.) Impact

• What longer-term changes in economic behaviour, aspirations, confidence, and risk-taking are observable among EKYAN participants?
• To what extent can observed changes be plausibly linked to EKYAN interventions, considering external factors?
• How has EKYAN influenced youth engagement with markets, financial services, employers, or value chains?
• What trade-offs did participants experience (e.g. income vs nutrition, risk vs stability), and how did these shape outcomes?
• Have there been spillover effects at household or community level?
• Were there any unintended positive or negative impacts resulting from the project activities?
• What would otherwise have happened if the project had not carried out the activities?
• What are the prospects for upscaling, replication, or multiplier effects of the project?
  

8e.) Sustainability

• Which EKYAN outcomes are most likely to be sustained after project support ends, and why?
• What factors support or threaten the sustainability of youth livelihoods and employment gains?
• To what extent have systems, skills, networks, or behaviours been strengthened to enable continued progress?
• How resilient are the observed outcomes to future shocks such as climate variability or market changes?
• What partnerships, institutional arrangements, or policy linkages are critical for sustaining and scaling EKYAN results?
  

Qualifications

• Deliverables/Scope of Work
  

The consultant will be expected to deliver the following:

• Inception report detailing the evaluation design, methodology, and work plan with timelines before the commencement of evaluation.
• Participatory development of evaluation tools and approaches with EKYAN project team.
• Draft interim evaluation report within 3 weeks from commencing the evaluation but before the validation for review and feedback.
• Document case studies and best practices identified in the project in collaboration with the Communications department.
• Final evaluation report incorporating feedback and recommendations by (insert date).
• Validation Workshop will be organized by the consultant for a participatory validation and strengthening of preliminary findings and recommendations with key stakeholders.
• Final version of quantitative data sets (raw and clean datasets) in agreed upon format and qualitative transcripts should be presented to SNV to facilitate final payment.
• Required Skills, Experience and Education of the Lead Consultant
• At least a master’s in agriculture (general, livestock), social science, statistics, agricultural economics or related field.
• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in carrying out baseline surveys/ impact evaluations, with a focus on agriculture and livelihood-related interventions.
• Demonstrable academic and practical experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodology, survey/evaluation design and implementation.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation and project management including youth and Gender Equity and Social Inclusion
• Demonstrated experience working with government partners, industry associations, the private sector, and other stakeholders in public sector development programs, especially around capacity development.
• Have experience of results-based monitoring and review and demonstrated capabilities and experience working or evaluating projects.
• Evidence of having undertaken having undertaken similar assignments and demonstrated capacity to undertake the assignment.
• Demonstrated proficiency in data analysis software (SPSS, STATA, R) and data collection tools (Kobo Toolbox, ODK), as well as standard office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• High-level written and oral communication skills in English and Kiswahili demonstrated by previous published work.
• Selection criteria
  

The consultancy is exclusively open to firms. The criteria will be based on the technical capacity of the consultants (80%) and financial viability (20%).

• Management Logistics
  

The Project Manager, EKYAN, will coordinate the whole process, serving as the primary contact with the consultant and SNV and will facilitate the required support from SNV. During the process, the consultant may seek and receive additional advice or guidance from the Project team and the Country MEL Advisor at SNV, even though we envision the consultant team to operate independently.

• Responsibility of SNV and partners
• Provide any information that may be required by the consultant during the implementation of the task.
• Participate in decision-making according to the consultant tasks above and be available for consultation as needed.
• Review the inception report, and progress reports and provide comments.
• Make contacts for the consultants with partners and community, if required and where applicable. The consultant will provide a list of potential organizations/individuals they will need SNV to help in providing linkages.
• Organize a feedback meeting.
• Provide feedback on the draft reports (Excel summary and Word document).
• Address any issues that may arise from time to time.
• Indicative Timetable
  

The successful consultants shall submit the inception report and work plan to SNV within 5 working days of signing the contract. The evaluation is to be done within 30 consecutive days including the inception report, data collection, analysis, drafting of the report, presentation of preliminary findings during the learning event and a validation meeting with the SNV team and or project participants and partners.
The evaluation therefore is expected to take place over 4 weeks, with key milestones as follows:

• Week 1: Inception phase, desk review, training of enumerators and field data collection.
• Week 2: Data analysis and drafting of the report.
• Week 3: Presentation preliminary findings during learning event on the 19th of March 2026 in Nairobi, validation and submission of draft report.
• Week 4: Finalization and presentation of the final report
• Proposal Submission Format
  

All the interested firms need to submit the following:
15a)Technical Proposal (not to exceed 20 pages)
General information
Organization overview highlighting related assignments completed with client name, contact person and mobile number.
Approach demonstrating a clear understanding of the ToR:

• A detailed methodology on how the assignment will be conducted, including data analysis and documentation
• Maximum 5-page CV (as annexed) highlighting related assignments completed, role in the completed assignment.
• A clear and comprehensive work plan (draft), outlining the major activities and schedule.
• Technical capacity statement, including past experiences and activities related to the theme of the study.
• At least three references of other clients for which similar assignments were undertaken with contact information for each.
• Examples of relevant evaluations conducted.
  

15b) Financial proposal
The consultant budget should propose an activity-based daily pay for this assignment, which includes all costs that include but are not limited to travel, accommodation and meals for consultants and enumerators, Stipend payment for the enumerators, FGD and KII participant costs.

• Total budget (in Kenya shillings) aligned with the work plan.
• Breakdown of daily costs for the lead consultant and other team member(s) aligned with the level of effort for each member of the team.
• Individual consultant/expert's PIN Certificate copy.
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate copy.
  

Interested consultants legally eligible to implement this assignment in Kenya are requested to submit a proposal including a contract as well as your telephone and email contact information.
Submissions must be in English and typed single-spaced using Times New Roman font size 12, with a complete set of appendices/attachments as applicable. All pages must be numbered and include the SOW reference number on the cover page and the name of the organization at the bottom of each page.
Full TOR HERE.
Additional Information
The proposal (duly signed) from the consultants should comprise a technical and financial proposal. Detailed proposals should be emailed to procurementkenya@snv.org with a CC to reppinga@snv.org citing “EKYAN Impact Evaluation” in the subject line of the email to reach us by 19th February 2025. Proposals received after the submission deadline will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their proposals are submitted according to the instructions stated herein.
SNV retains the right to terminate this RFP or modify the requirements upon notification to the Offerors.
Validity of Proposals
Proposals submitted shall remain open for acceptance for ten (10) days from the last date specified for receipt of the proposal. This includes, but is not limited to pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. If your organization is selected, all information in this document and the negotiation process are contractually binding.
Limitations
This Request for Proposal does not represent a commitment to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP, or to procure or to contract for services or supplies. SNV reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and reserves the right to accept or reject in its entirety and absolute discretion any proposal received because of the RFP.
Applicable Regulations
Offerors must be legally registered to operate within Kenya and comply with locally applicable legislation, including but not limited to labour law, financial requirements, taxes, etc.
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